Description
The Chaource PDO is a cheese produced exclusively from cow's milk of breeds located in the large area between Bourgogne and Champagne.
Production Area
The production area of Chaource PDO covers a part of the department of Aube, in the Troyes area, in the region Champagne-Ardenne and a part of the department of Yonne, in the Avallon and Sens area, in the region of Burgundy.
Production Method
The milk used to produce it is curdled and coagulated for at least 12 hours. Coagulation must be carried out only using rennet. After dripping, which is made slowly and spontaneously, the paste is slightly salted. Finally, the mould is ripened for a minimum period of two weeks, in the Bourgogne-Champagne geographic area. Fresh cheese and cheese undergoing the maturing process may not be conserved under a modified atmosphere.
Appearance and Flavour
Chaource PDO has two different cylindrical, flat shapes: a big mould with a diameter between 110 mm and 115 mm and a weight of about 180 gr, and a small mould with a diameter between 85 mm and 90 mm and weight of about 100 gr. It has a soft, white and mild paste, slightly salted and fat. The rind is flowered and covered with superficial moulds of Penicillium candidum. When fresh, Chaource PDO has a slightly acid taste; when ripe, on the contrary, the taste is fruity and rich of walnut notes.
History
The origins of Chaource PDO go back to the 14th century. Indeed, the King of France Charles IV (in French, Charles IV Le Bel) could taste the ancestor of this cheese when he was at Chaource, while Margaret of Bourgogne, wife of Louis X, wanted it on her table. In the 19th century, the area farmers produced a cheese called fromage de Chaource using fat milk. At that time, there were cheese resellers who gathered this product in their farms and sold it on the regional markets. The Chaource was sold on important markets and was famous in the most important French cities.
Gastronomy
Chaource PDO must be conserved in the least cold compartment of the refrigerator in its original package to maintain its organoleptic features. It must be tasted at room temperature, so it must be taken from the refrigerator about half an hour before eating. It's ideal to taste it at the end of a meal with a slice of homemade bread or baguette or as aperitif cut in cubes. It can also be combined with green salad. It is perfect with the wines from the area as, for example, Champagne or Porto aperitif wine.
Marketing
The product is sold as Chaource PDO. It is marketed fresh, whole and in a single package.
Distinctive Features
The Chaource PDO, above all when ripe, is particularly famous both due to its unique fruity taste rich of walnut notes and to its typical soft and slightly oily paste.
